Filmmakers discovered in the early twentieth century that Americans would gladly pay to be scared to death. As the decades marched on, dismissive critics regularly wrote obituaries for the relentlessly popular horror genre, even as other kinds of films (Blaxploitation, anyone?) disappeared from theaters.

David Konow, in Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror Films (St. Martin’s Press, 2012), surveys the history of this much-maligned genre and explains why it refuses to die. As he demonstrates in one eminently readable chapter after another, it’s incredibly “fun” to be afraid. That simple fact helps explain why “the true fans of the genre couldn’t care less what the mainstream or the critics think about horror. It never kept them away from the theaters.”

Like all good books, Reel Terror‘s strengths stem from the talents of its author. Konow is possessed of a true encyclopedic knowledge of his subject matter and is a passionate advocate for horror. He’s also a dogged researcher, as evidenced by the dozens of original interviews he conducted with film directors, producers, and actors both obscure and famous. Ultimately, rabid fans of the genre who think they’ve heard all of the stories surrounding classics like Psycho, Night of the Living Dead and Jaws will find new insights in the pages of Reel Terror, and even those who have only a passing interest in such films will find themselves reconsidering their stance by the end of the book.

David Konow is the author of Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal and Schock-O-Rama: The Films of Al Adamson. He has written for dozens of publications and websites, including LA Weekly, Guitar World, Fangoria, and TGDaily.com. He lives in Southern California and can be reached via Facebook or email (konowd@pacbell.net) .

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